The Six Least Fruitful Collaborations Ever

Chris Cornell and Timbaland
Did anyone think this was going to work in the first place aside from the two principal players involved? Well, it didn't. It is perhaps one of the worst collaborative efforts ever released, maybe one of the worst albums ever. The styles just clash way too much, and Cornell should have known his classic rock voice would never work over some throwaway beats from a hip hop producer.

The problem lies right there too. Not only is Cornell ill suited for the music, it's obvious Timbaland didn't bring his A-game to the project. Maybe he knew it would fail and just wanted a paycheck. Either way, he threw up some of the worst beats of his career for Cornell to sing over, and Cornell warbles his way around them like he's stumbling around in the dark for a hook to hold onto. It's sad.

Lou Reed and Metallica
I think our readers would crucify me if I didn't include this most hated of collaborations, but I must confess to enjoying it for what it is. It's an art project, and listened to as one of Lou Reed's many experiments of varying quality, rather than a Metallica project, it's at least successful in some ways.

I can't deny the album's more glaring issues though. The songs drone on far too long with far too few ideas. Reed's voice doesn't quite work with the proceedings, and it's absolutely painful any time Hetfield sticks his in because he sounds like he's been teleported in from another world and has no idea how to sing over music like this.

Yes, I enjoy it despite all its flaws, but it can't be denied that this collaboration was a failure. Even failure can be occasionally beautiful, but there's no getting around the fact that this didn't come off anywhere near what Metallica and Lou Reed were shooting for when they planned it out.

Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
No matter how many hits the duo produced, no matter how legendary and amazing both men are, their songs together were just absolutely wretch-inducing. "The Girl is Mine" still stands out as the worst song on Thriller, and these collaborations are oddly the most dated songs in Jackson's catalogue, a testament to how weak and of their time they really were.

Believe me, I love both of them by themselves, but McCartney's particular brand of sappy sweetness very quickly becomes grating, and he turned on the schlock to 11 when he sang with the King of Pop for some reason.